Salem, Va. — Hospital Week is a time to recognize the people who make healthcare personal: colleagues who show up for patients, support each other and help create a culture where people feel they belong.
For Lauren Hoback, 44, that culture is part of what makes LewisGale Medical Center feel like home.
Lauren joined LewisGale in June 2022, beginning her career at the hospital in supply chain. She was first drawn to the organization because of its benefits package, but what kept her here was something deeper: the people.
“The people at work are like a second family to me,” Lauren said. “When I’m at work, it’s like I’m at home. It’s hard to find that kind of workplace, but I’ve found that here... and that’s why I want my children here.”
Today, Lauren works in telemetry, where care teams use remote monitoring to closely track patients’ heart rhythms and vital signs. She is not the only member of her family who has found meaningful work at the hospital. Five of her 10 children now work alongside her at LewisGale Medical Center, building careers of their own in patient care and hospital operations. Lauren said with a laugh that the only children of hers who do not work at the hospital are minors, and they have all expressed interest in working there someday.
Her daughter, Alexus Reynolds, 25, was the first of Lauren’s children to join the hospital. Like her mother, Alexus began in supply chain before moving into telemetry.
Jakaari Reynolds, 21, and her sister, Aaliyah Reynolds, 26, followed next, beginning their LewisGale Medical Center careers as patient care technicians before advancing to nurse externs during their studies. They initially worked on the progressive care unit (PCU) and later transitioned to women’s services, balancing full-time school while continuing to support both units.
In April, both sisters graduated from Galen College of Nursing in Roanoke, successfully passed the National Council Licensure Examination and are now serving as nurse residents in labor and delivery.
Jaylen Reynolds was the next child to join her mother as part of the LewisGale Medical Center family. Jaylen, 23, is a patient care technician in the PCU. Cartier Hoback, 19, also works in telemetry and is the last of Lauren’s 10 children, for now, to join the hospital.
For most of Lauren’s children, their mother’s experience first made them interested in working at LewisGale Medical Center. But once they spent time with her colleagues, asked questions and heard their encouragement, the decision became even more certain. Those conversations helped Lauren’s children see a place for themselves at the hospital and created a sense of connection and belonging.